A. INTRODUCTION
“And Elijah the Tishbite, who was of the inhabitants of Gilead, said unto Ahab, ‘As the LORD God of Israel liveth, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years, but according to my word.’ And the word of the LORD came unto him, saying, ‘Get thee hence, and turn thee eastward, and hide thyself by the brook Cherith, that is before Jordan. And it shall be, that thou shalt drink of the brook; and I have commanded the ravens to feed thee there.’ So he went and did according unto the word of the LORD: for he went and dwelt by the brook Cherith, that is before Jordan. And the ravens brought him bread and flesh in the morning, and bread and flesh in the evening; and he drank of the brook. And it came to pass after a while, that the brook dried up, because there had been no rain in the land. And the word of the LORD came unto him, saying, ‘Arise, get thee to Zarephath, which belongeth to Zidon, and dwell there: behold, I have commanded a widow woman there to sustain thee’” (1 Kings 17:1-9).
We’ve all been in a place where the “brook” dried up and God moved us on to another place.
B. GOD’S PROVISION AT THE BROOK CHERITH
· The world was suffering a drought because of Elijah’s prayer. “Elias was a man subject to like passions as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain: and it rained not on the earth by the space of three years and six months” (James 5:17).
· Elijah was alone at the brook Cherith. His title “Tishbite” comes from the word “stranger.” He could be called Elijah the Stranger. He always did things alone. He stood alone on Mount Carmel against the prophets of Baal. He stood alone on Mount Sinai when he stood before God.
· Elijah had only bread and meat to eat and water to drink. “And the ravens brought him bread and flesh in the morning, and bread and flesh in the evening; and he drank of the brook” (1 Kings 17:6).
· The Bible scholars teach Elijah enjoyed food and water at Cherith for a year before the brook dried up.
C. LESSONS LEARNED BESIDE THE BROOK
1. When God provides meager resources, we may be better off than the world suffering a drought.
2. God can lead you to the brook before the drought comes, so God can take care of you when hard times come.
3. God provides for us in unusual ways, just as God used ravens to take care of Elijah.
4. Good times are not forever. Elijah didn’t have a care in this world as long as he was by the brook. He had food twice a day.
No thieves to worry about
No checks to bounce
No one to bug him
No telephone salesman
5. Sometimes we cause our brook to dry up. Because Elijah prayed, there was no rain. Eventually Elijah’s source of water dried up.
6. When your brook dries up, listen for the voice of God, “And it came to pass after a while, that the brook dried up, because there had been no rain in the land. And the word of the LORD came unto him, saying, ‘Arise, get thee to Zarephath, which belongeth to Zidon, and dwell there: behold, I have commanded a widow woman there to sustain thee’” (1 Kings 17:7-9).
7. When your brook dries up, God has another place to feed you and use you.
8. God expects you to “eat at His command” and to “move at His command.” We must obey all God’s commands whether we like them or not.
9. When God moves you, it may be that God is planning greater miracles at the next place.
D. GOD’S PROVISION AT ZAREPHATH
1. When your brook dries up, God may send you into the middle of the drought.
· Zarephath means crucible, i.e., the place of testing. Elijah was led from the frying pan into the fire.
· Zarephath was outside the Promise Land, i .e., it’s in the land we call Lebanon. God may lead you away from the Promise Land where His people are located.
· Zarephath was so bad, the widow planned to eat one meal and die. “So he arose and went to Zarephath. And when he came to the gate of the city, behold, the widow woman was there gathering of sticks: and he called to her, and said, ‘Fetch me, I pray thee, a little water in a vessel, that I may drink.’ And as she was going to fetch it, he called to her, and said, ‘Bring me, I pray thee, a morsel of bread in thine hand.’ And she said, ‘As the LORD thy God liveth, I have not a cake, but an handful of meal in a barrel, and a little oil in a cruse: and, behold, I am gathering two sticks, that I may go in and dress it for me and my son, that we may eat it, and die’” (1 Kings 10-12).
2. Enjoy the abundance of Cherith because tomorrow God may lead you to Zarephath where you’ll live “hand to mouth.”
3. God can do a different miracle for you in Zarephath than He did in Cherith.
· Fed by ravens by the brook
· Fed by cruise of oil and barrel of meal
· “ And Elijah said unto her, ‘Fear not; go and do as thou hast said: but make me thereof a little cake first, and bring it unto me, and after make for thee and for thy son. For thus saith the LORD God of Israel, the barrel of meal shall not waste, neither shall the cruse of oil fail, until the day that the LORD sendeth rain upon the earth.’ And she went and did according to the saying of Elijah: and she, and he, and her house, did eat many days” (1 Kings 17:13-15).
4. Notice the statement found in both places, “The Word of the Lord.” What do you have in the place of prosperity and the place of poverty? The promises of the Bible, “The Lord is My Shepherd, I shall not want.”
5. When you help the needy, God provides for you. As Elijah helped a hopeless widow, she provided for him.
E. VARIOUS REACTIONS WHEN GOD MOVES YOU FROM CHERITH
· You can FIGHT it because you are afraid of the future.
· You can FEAR it because you don’t trust God to provide in the future.
· You can FAINT and not move forward.
· You can FLOUNDER because you won’t listen to the direction of the Word of the Lord.
· You can FOLLOW the Word of the Lord because you know God will provide where God guides.
Where God guides
God provides.
F. WHAT TO EXPECT AT THE NEXT PLACE
1. Look forward to good home cooking.
This widow had a little oil and a little meal. Each day she made a meal. I know widows can cook, and they can do a variety of things with a little bit. I’ve had a lot of good home cooking in my day. Here’s what I think Elijah had to eat in Zarephath:
First Day
Breakfast Pancakes
Lunch Biscuits
Dinner Dumplings
Dessert - home made doughnuts
Second Day
Breakfast Fried corn cakes
Lunch Plain bread with a little “sopping oil”
Dinner Tortillas
Dessert - bread pudding
“She, and he, and her house, did eat many days” (1 Kings 17:15).
2. The Lord will be at the next place to provide.
3. God will speak to you at the next place, just as He used you at the previous place. “And the barrel of meal wasted not, neither did the cruse of oil fail, according to the word of the LORD, which he spake by Elijah” (1 Kings 17:16).
4. You may not have everything you want, but you’ll have everything you need.
5. Your ability to trust God will result in others being saved. The widow of Zarephath was apparently saved as a result of caring for Elijah” (1 Kings 17:24).
If you have never really accepted Jesus as your personal Savior, would you do it right now? Do not delay or put it off. If you would like to receive Christ by faith, pray this simple prayer in your heart:
Dear Lord, I acknowledge that I am a sinner. I believe Jesus died for my sins on the cross, and rose again the third day. I repent of my sins. By faith I receive the Lord Jesus as my Savior. You promised to save me, and I believe You, because You are God and cannot lie. I believe right now that the Lord Jesus is my personal Savior, and that all my sins are forgiven through His precious blood. I thank You, dear Lord, for saving me. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
If you prayed that prayer, God heard you and saved you. I personally want to welcome you to the family of God. Please contact me at eltowns@liberty.edu and tell us about your salvation experience so that we can rejoice with you.
